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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To buy a ‘family ticket’

45 replies

ViaRia01 · 10/04/2025 08:45

I’m planning a local day out for my household and another household.
Household A: 2 adults, 1 child, 1 infant (free)
Household B: 2 adults, 2 children.

pricing is:
£32 - family ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children)
£14 - adult
£10 - child
£0 - infant.

If I buy 2 x family tickets it will be £64 altogether.
If I buy 1 family ticket, 2 adults, 1 child, it will be £70.
If I buy 1 family ticket and 2 adults, it will be £60.

So the cheapest way would be for the child from household A to go in with family B on their family ticket. We’re attending as one big group, not just getting through the gate and going our separate ways But is this generally not permitted? Will they pull us up on it? WWYD?

I’m generally a rule follower. I would never stuff my 2.5 year old in a pushchair to try to get them in for free as an infant (for example). But this situation just feels a bit more … OK … to me.

Interested to hear others thoughts, particularly if you’re usually a bit more like me and try to follow the rules. We can afford it either way. If we pay for two families, then so be it. But I don’t like to throw money away if it’s perfectly acceptable to rearrange families for ticketing purposes.

OP posts:
BoredZelda · 10/04/2025 09:06

ViaRia01 · 10/04/2025 08:55

Yes, makes sense thank you.

I can see why it looks like I’m overthinking it. I do that a bit I suppose but please do NOT think this is keeping me up at night! I have all the detail I could in the OP in case of follow up questions.

The long term arrangement between these two families is relatively loose in terms of bills and payments. The difference in saving is small and I don’t think anyone would quibble. Family B needs a family ticket anyway and so if they take in the extra child from family A they’ll save £2 while family A saves £4.

Edited

I’d split the cost evenly though. Each family pays half. That seems the fairest way.

idontunderstandwhy · 10/04/2025 09:07

ViaRia01 · 10/04/2025 08:55

Yes, makes sense thank you.

I can see why it looks like I’m overthinking it. I do that a bit I suppose but please do NOT think this is keeping me up at night! I have all the detail I could in the OP in case of follow up questions.

The long term arrangement between these two families is relatively loose in terms of bills and payments. The difference in saving is small and I don’t think anyone would quibble. Family B needs a family ticket anyway and so if they take in the extra child from family A they’ll save £2 while family A saves £4.

Edited

So you’re family A and you haven't asked if family will take your child through the gates?

Original poster
ViaRia01 · 10/04/2025 09:10

@BoredZelda yes, that works too. All I meant was that even in the worst case scenario family B still gets a saving by taking part in this family ticket fraud

OP posts:
Original poster
ViaRia01 · 10/04/2025 09:11

@idontunderstandwhy yes correct. Why?

OP posts:
CharSiu · 10/04/2025 09:13

That’s fine.

My older brother got me in as a child on a family ticket to an attraction once. . His daughters were 10 and 13, I was 29!

I was really annoyed when he told me after the visit.

Guistarry · 10/04/2025 09:15

Honestly wouldn't cross my mind to not do this with people we were going with. It's not dishonest really is it, you're paying for every person and going at the same time.

Dueanamechange2025 · 10/04/2025 09:24

We recently went somewhere with: two seniors, four adults (two were actually 18 year olds), two children. One of the children and one of the adults is disabled so gets a free carer.

I paid for one family ticket which covered two adults, three children, then used the two free tickets for the second two adults and paid for the two seniors as this was the most cost effective way of doing it. No one questioned who was family, who was the carers etc, just that everyone had a ticket.

BeaAndBen · 10/04/2025 09:26

ViaRia01 · 10/04/2025 09:10

@BoredZelda yes, that works too. All I meant was that even in the worst case scenario family B still gets a saving by taking part in this family ticket fraud

It’s not fraud. Not even in a jokey way.

Original poster
ViaRia01 · 10/04/2025 09:28

@BeaAndBen why did that bother you so much?

OP posts:
Itisjustmyopinion · 10/04/2025 09:29

Take the best combination of tickets and divide by 2. Simple and not fraud in any way whatsoever

Seems a bit dramatic to be talking about fraud and who will save £2 and who will save £4

BumbleBeegu · 10/04/2025 09:30

You are overthinking this.

Rewis · 10/04/2025 09:33

I've always figured family ticket is just the number of adults and number of kids. Doesn't actually matter if you're related. Or thats how the cashiers have charged us without even asking anything ehen going eith frienss. So I'd go with family ticket+2 adults without a second thought.

Crazybaby123 · 10/04/2025 09:37

Noone will check the childrens ID.

Lovelysummerdays · 10/04/2025 09:37

I get a family ticket for swimming, so if I take an extra child they are effectively free. There isn’t any rule that says they have to be your kids.

Original poster
ViaRia01 · 10/04/2025 09:42

Thanks everyone for the replies. I was just asking, as it’s just never come up for me before but now I know it’s very accepted and happens all the time.

OP posts:
MolkosTeenageAngst · 10/04/2025 09:54

It’s not fraud, you don’t have to be an actual related family, it’s just the name of that particular group ticket. I have attended places like this with a friend and her children and we’ve got a family ticket and I’ve been one of the 2 adults even though I’m not related to them. If you were a family with 2 adults and 2 kids but brought a friends child for company too surely you wouldn’t think twice about getting one family ticket for the 5 of you? A family ticket admits 2 adults and 3 children and so it’s absolutely fine to use it for 2 adults and 3 children regardless of relationship!

DonnaBanana · 10/04/2025 09:55

I work at a solicitors and we did a company outing to a local petting farm and we all got in using two family tickets despite not being related at all! Our work experience teenagers got in as the “kids”.

hopingtofeelbetter · 10/04/2025 10:11

this is no different to us buying a family ticket and dd taking a friend who isn’t related or a childminder taking 3 children. You’re definitely overthinking.

TwoShades1 · 10/04/2025 10:39

Of course it’s fine! You just need to arrive/go through entry as a whole group. You don’t need to be a literal family! We have used family tickets with nieces/nephews and kids friends. It’s not passport control at an airport, no one’s abducting kids into theme parks!

BeaAndBen · 10/04/2025 13:37

ViaRia01 · 10/04/2025 09:28

@BeaAndBen why did that bother you so much?

It just seemed such an unhelpful way of looking at a group ticket

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